


The Park

by MeganauraZX



Category: Rockman ZX | Mega Man ZX
Genre: Body Dysphoria, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Post-ZXA au, ZX lore is scary save me, minor nudity, theres some humor tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:22:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27371137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeganauraZX/pseuds/MeganauraZX
Summary: After the events of Albert and Model W, Aile is left feeling uneasy about herself for strange reasons. Vent, accompanied by Grey and Ashe, decide to take her out to a park to relax a bit.
Kudos: 14





	The Park

**Author's Note:**

> Oh boy, a ZX fic! ZX is my favorite mega man series so this was a lot of fun to write, and was really refreshing too. Hope you enjoy this strange little fic. Be warn there’s body dysphoria and nudity, so click away if you don’t like that!

Aile slumped in her chair. It’s not like she was exhausted or anything, rather, very bored. With Model W taken care of, things were finally peaceful. There were still remains of it left in the ocean, but she, Vent, Ashe, and Grey were making sure to take care of it all, destroying every core before someone got their hands on it. Who knows if Albert had other candidates they didn’t know about? The thought of the candidates made Aile shiver. She looked down at her body as she remembered. 

_ My skin wasn't always like this.  _

Aile, like most other humans of her time, had a robotic body. It was law that every human must get robotic parts implanted into their body, replacing organs and sometimes even bones if necessary. The main thing about it, though, was the fact everyone’s skin was also changed. Synthetic skin was put over the real skin, so that infections wouldn’t happen. It also made the process of putting the mechanical parts in much easier. The real skin was still under there, some even kept real parts of their skin showing if they could, but the majority took the safest route and covered it all. No one complained or even questioned it much, however, the synthetic skin was much more durable and had a lot of fun advantages. People could stretch it out as far they wanted, they could change the colors of the skin to anything if they were tired of black but didn’t want their regular colored skin. Almost everyone saw it as just a fun stretch suit you’d never have to take off. But the more Aile thought about it, the more she became uncomfortable with the idea. After all, humans going through this process was how Albert chose his candidates. When a human came for their mechanical implants, Albert would inject them with DNA. He picked out whoever he found worthy to be his candidates for Model W. He had the whole “game” planned out, a game of which all his candidates would fight to the death. But the scariest part to Aile wasn’t the fact Albert was both psychotic and a government leader. No, it was the fact no one knew they were chosen until everything they loved was taken away from them. Aile clenched her fist, remembering the painful memories.  _ A chosen one of a Biometal is a survivor of an Irregular raid.  _ The words echoed in her head as the memories of what happened to her, played back in her head. The moment would have been traumatizing, no matter what age she was, but the fact she was only 3, was painful to anyone. She lost her mother at that age. She lost her mother, all because of her  _ body _ .

“Aile?” Aile jolted up from her seat, whipping around. It was Vent. 

“Oh, hey, bro,” she sighed. “Any reports about Model W’s?” 

He shook his head. “Not yet. Are you alright? You looked really tense.” 

“I’m alright,” she lied. “I’m just a little anxious without any fighting. Not that I want to fight, though.” 

“No, I get you.” Vent smiled, reassuring her. “We’ve been so used to fighting that peace is a new concept to us. We took it for granted back when we were small.” She gave a simple nod to her brother in response. 

“Yeah.” 

“Anyways,” Vent continued. “Ashe and Grey found somewhere we can chill out, if you’d like.” 

Her face lit up. “I’d love to! Sitting around just gonna make me more tense.” 

“Great! We’ll be landing soon. You can change out of your current outfit, too, if you want.” Vent shot back another smile, then left the room. Aile was rather tempted to change her clothes. She loved wearing different outfits, and wearing the same clothes almost daily was boring. But then she looked back at her body. “Not today.” She whispered, leaving her room. 

She walked out near one of the exits of the ship. It was in the landing process. She spied Vent, who was still wearing his regular clothes, but Ashe and Grey, who were next to him, had changed. Instead of her usual jacket and belt, Ashe was wearing a tank top with shorts, and she had swapped out her boots with some sandals. More of her body was exposed, revealing more of her skin, as well as the red rings around her wrist, that everyone had. Despite the clothes being cute, and fitting Ashe well, Aile felt more discomfort wash over her. All that skin out, yet she didn’t mind it at all. Aile wished she could say the same for herself. She then looked at Grey, whose clothes were drastically different from his usual look. He wore a brown vest in place of where his red harness was, and his shorts were replaced with more puffy ones. His weird blocky shoes were still present, but overall, Grey looked much more comfortable. Aile couldn’t help to think he always was uncomfortable with his clothes, especially since his harness had plugs on them. It must have been tiring having those drag around whenever you went. Aile would have shook off her discomfort, she was very happy for Grey, but then remembered the red triangle on his head. Grey was a Reploid.

Reploids had it easier than humans. To make Reploids be equal to humans, they were given official lifespans, meaning they would eventually shut down for good, rather than living forever. It may seem like an unfair law to them, but it really wasn’t. Humans and Reploids could now live longer, they were at least allowed to live up to 100 years since that’s when humans mechanical parts would eventually not be able to keep up with their bodies. That was still a long time for them, and they didn’t even  _ need  _ to deal with going to Legion more than once. Reploids were still built with all robotic parts in mind, so once they are given lifespans, they don’t need anymore parts added later in life. Sure, some Reploids do get parts swapped out to match the age they are assigned, but are they required to go to Legion to do so? No. They can do it anywhere, even manually. The rule for them in the law is they must visit Legion once for the lifespan check, and unless a problem arises causing them to need to return, or other reasons, they never need to visit again. Plus, considering Grey was made by Albert himself, he probably set his lifespan in, meaning Grey wouldn't even have to go to Legion for that. It filled Aile with envy. She liked Grey, he was a sweet kid, but he didn’t have to deal with what she had to go through. Vent noticed Aile’s sour expression.

“You get up on the wrong side of the bed today or what?” He joked, gently elbowing her. 

Aile scoffed. “Very funny, Vent.” 

The ship landed, and the four exited. Ashe let out a deep sigh, stretching her arms. “I can’t remember the last time I was out in a city like this, let alone a park!” 

“Well at least you have some experience, I’ve never been to a park before.” Grey said in a monotone voice, looking out ahead. 

“Oh yeah, you were a test tube baby.” Everyone shot Ashe a look.

“Ashe! Don’t make fun of me for that!” Grey yelled, a blush forming on his face. “You know it’s a touchy subject...” 

“Jeez, Ashe, you got your brother all flustered!” Aile glared at her, placing a hand on Grey’s shoulder to calm him. 

“Hey, it’s what siblings do!” She chuckled to herself. 

“I swear Ashe, if you weren’t such a nice kid I-,“ Vent trailed off, thinking about the threat he was about to say, then he growled. “Whatever. Let's just get going.” The four walked into the park. It was a big one. Trees scattered every corner of it. It would have seemed like a nature reserve if it weren’t for the cemented trails. The park held multiple food stands. 

“Oh!” Ashe’s eyes lit up, spying a funnel cake stand. She grinned, staring at her brother. “Grey, I’m about to buy you one of the best snacks ever.” 

“Really now?” He raised a brow. “I don’t really like food, you know. It’s not even just because I’m a Reploid, I just don’t see the appeal.” 

“You like cake though, don’t you? I remember you took almost 3 slices of that cake at Hunter’s Camp.” 

“Well-,“ 

“Come on!” She grabbed his hand, running towards the stand. “Oh, and don’t worry, Vent!” She turned to look at him. “I got my own E-Crystals!” 

“Good! I don’t wanna have to pay for anything for you!” He yelled back, sounding rather joking in an aggressive manner. He then turned to his twin. “Do you want some too?” Aile shook her head. 

“No thanks. I’m not really hungry.” 

“What about a drink? You love soda, and there’s a stand right there.” He pointed to a vending machine that was a bit farther down but not too far from the stand Grey and Ashe were at. She shrugged. 

“I guess one bottle wouldn’t hurt.” The two walked up to it. They placed E-Crystals in, selecting their drinks. They picked them up after they fell out. 

“Cheers!” Vent put up his as if they were having a toast. Aile did the same, bumping his can. They then both opened them, sipping the drinks. The two walked around a bit, making sure to keep an eye on their friends, while still looking around the place. 

“I wonder what we should do. I didn’t really think of anything.” Vent mumbled to himself. 

“It’s okay,” Aile replied. “Just being out is enough for me-.“ Aile then froze, her drink falling out of her hand. 

“What. The. Hell?” 

“What is it?” She lifted up her finger, pointing to the hill ahead. Vent looked, and his mouth fell open. 

“Hey guys! What are you two doing over there!” They heard Ashe yell, but stayed glued in place. She and Grey ran up to them. 

“You two okay?” Grey asked, munching on funnel cake. “Looks like you saw a-. Oh.” He also froze in place. Ashe was the only one who didn’t look frozen. She was rather confused, looking upon the scene. Standing upon the hill, was a small group of humans and Reploids. They were doing yoga. Not so bizarre, yoga was a regular practice that both could partake in, and there was nothing wrong with the practice. The oddity lied in one factor: No one was wearing clothes. Not even a garment to be seen. It was all bare bodies. Save for the rings that were required around their wrist, and some facial items like glasses or hair ties. That didn’t change the fact that they were naked. 

“I don’t see the problem here,” Ashe said, breaking the silence. 

“They’re naked,” Aile said, trembling a bit. 

“So? We’re practically half naked!” 

“Clothes are still widely considered as polite, Ashe,” Vent said, deadpanning her. 

Ashe was once again confused. She looked at them grouped, then smirked. “I’m gonna join them.” Ashe devoured the rest of her funnel cake, and ran up the hill. 

“WHAT!?” Grey, Vent and Aile shouted in unison as they watched her. “Hey!” She called. “You guys still open for walk-ins?!” The teacher of the group, an old lady, turned. “Oh. I wasn’t expecting someone new.” She stopped her stretching, and turned to face Ashe. “What brings you here, dearie?” 

“Just saw you guys and wondered if I could join. I’m not a yoga person, but...” She looked at the lady’s body. “I find it fascinating that you guys don’t care about clothes.” 

The old lady laughed. “I like you already. But yes, you may join. We were going to take a short break anyways so perfect timing to get undressed.” 

“Sweet!” Ashe then pulled off her tank top, then her shorts. She slipped out of her sandals as the others climbed the hill. “As- OH GOD!” Both Grey and Vent shielded their eyes from the sight of Ashe. 

“What? You literally see me without any pants on half the time.” She placed her hands on her hips, looking at the boys in disappointment. “Heck, me without pants isn’t even half as bad as, I don’t know, Aile!” She pointed to her as she arose from the hill. “She lets her boobs out!” 

This comment made Aile jump, a red blush forming on her face. She looked down at her chest. Her boobs were in fact showing from her opened vest. She covered her chest with her arms, turning the other way. 

_ How... How much self awareness do I not have?  _

Her thoughts on her body only worsened as she recognized this fact. Aile never once considered her boobs were showing, she just wore her vest open because Vent did it. It made her look more mature and she didn’t need it closed all the time. Yet now, she wondered why she even copied her brother in the first place, especially when a boy without a shirt wasn’t as half as embarrassing as her situation. 

“Why are you so flustered?” She heard Ashe’s voice from behind. “You definitely knew you were doing that, right?” She didn’t dare turn back. She liked Ashe as much as she liked Grey, but she knew if she looked at her, she’d scream or maybe even punch her. Which is something she should  _ not  _ do in public, even if Ashe was being rude. She just stood there, looking down at the grass, her arms wrapped around herself. 

“Aile, was it?” She blinked, then looked over. It was the old lady. She didn’t look a tad bit concerned over her. “I assume your friends are with this young lady here, would you care to join us?” That’s when she finally began to slowly burst. 

“J-Join? Like, Take off my clothes!?” Her legs began to shake. 

“Yes. You don’t have to, neither do your other friends, but,” the lady narrowed her eyes. “You seem to not like your body. Maybe some yoga will help you appreciate it.” 

That’s when Aile finally lost it. “No, no, no!” She screamed, then ran down the hill, nearly falling. 

“Aile!” She heard her friends scream, but kept running. She ran down the trail, not knowing where she was going. Tears were starting to form in her eyes. She needed to find somewhere to calm down before she started to cry in public, but her legs wouldn’t stop moving, and her mind was fixed on what the lady said. 

_ You seem to not like your body.  _

Those words haunted her. How did a complete stranger know? Was she psychic or something? Was her discomfort more obvious from the outside then she thought? Before Aile could process anymore, she felt the world fall beneath her. She tripped over something, and fell face first. She thankfully fell into grass, but it was a small hill. She tumbled down, landing on her side near a tree. She turned to face up, as if she was in bed, and didn’t move another inch. She couldn’t move. She could only feel tears fall from her eyes. She felt paralyzed. Time seemed to have stopped. Until, she heard a voice.

**_Aile._ ** Arising from her pockets, was one of her Biometals, Model X.  **_What’s wrong? Do you need to talk about it?_ ** His voice was filled with concern, but still the usual calm and soft voice she knew. 

**_She clearly needs to talk about it._ ** Another voice, which was deep yet also very soft, chimed in. It was her second Biometal, Model Z, who also floated out of her pocket. She had forgotten they were even there. Her and Vent usually switched between who kept them on each other, so she was used to not having them all the time. She rose into a sitting position, and wiped her tears away. “I’m fine.” 

**_Clearly, not._ ** Z said.  **_Aile, we’ve known you for four years, talk to us._ ** She narrowed her eyes, looking at them both. 

“Why?” Was all she said. 

**_We’re your friends. And as your friends, we're here to help you. Please, Aile. You know we won’t judge._ ** While the soothing voice of X would make anyone open up, Aile didn’t budge. 

“It’s not like you’d understand.” She said coldly, picking at some grass. 

**_You kidding? Me and X had an embarrassing yoga session once._ ** Z chuckled, and X turned to his partner. Despite the fact Biometals did not have faces, X clearly had some sort of expression on his non-existent face. 

**_Zero, how the hell do you remember you, that?_ **

Z turned to his partner.  **_My memories literally came back, X. Like, midway through the time I had with-oh wait._ ** He turned to Aile.  **_She’s probably lost._ **

“I know you’re Zero, Z.” She said in a bored voice, not looking at either. X jumped a bit. 

**_WHAT. How did you-_ **

“Biometals are literally the souls of legendary heroes, remember?” She broke off X. “We’ve known this for as long as I have known you. And I’ve heard countless stories about you two before me and Vent were chosen.” She then looked up. “But did you really think we wouldn't have known by now, especially when our form, ZX, looks exactly like Zero?” X remained slight, looking down. Z continued to speak. 

**_Well don’t be embarrassed over yoga! Me and X had such an embarrassing session one time._ **

**_Zero, please, don’t._ ** X snapped a bit at Z, cutting him off from telling the story.  **_I don’t think it was yoga that made her uncomfortable, Zero. Remember what the lady said._ ** Z paused, then let out a sigh. 

**_Oh. The body part. Sorry._ **

“It’s okay, I suppose.” Aile frowned, looking down at the grass again. 

**_Aile, if you’re uncomfortable about it. We’re willing to let you speak about it. Even if we were Reploids, Zero and I could understand what it would be like for you, a human._ ** X’s words finally were reaching Aile, and she let out a sigh of defeat. She huddled her knees to her chest, and wrapped her arms around them, as she began to speak. 

“I... I don’t know why this happened. I’d never had this happen before to me, not until recently. With Grey telling me all that happened with Albert, I started feeling weird. Vent and I never knew about any of the stuff, and you guys probably didn’t either. Or at least, remembered.” 

**_Albert could have gotten his hands on us, you’re saying?_ ** Z commented and Aile nodded. 

“Yeah. If Prairie’s sister made you guys after finding out about Model W, and if Albert made Model W, he’d probably found out. I wouldn’t be shocked one bit, especially since, while Albert stole the others from us recently, you guys were probably scattered around on purpose. Maybe Albert even helped Serpent with the Pseudoroids, but that’s a hunch.” 

**_That’s probably why we had the ciphers._ ** X added.  **_And possibly why Prairie’s sister disappeared. He could have gotten her._ **

“Unfortunately, yeah. I think Prairie accepted she might be dead. But, back to my part.” She looked down at herself once more. “This body is not how I’m supposed to be. My skin is my regular skin is under here. It’s not even the mechanical parts that bother me, it’s the skin. It’s not even weird to me that I have white devices for ears or mechanical lungs, that’s fine. I don’t even find the equality laws to be that bad, even if Albert abusing it makes me sick about all this to begin with. But the skin just-“ 

**_The skin makes you uncomfortable because it reminds you that Albert gave it to you._ ** Z said.  **_It’s Albert that makes you uncomfortable, and not really all of the mechanical stuff. It’s just the thought of him._ **

“Yes.” Tears welled up in her eyes. “That’s exactly why. I know for a fact when I was small, I was given the skin first. I didn’t really question the skin much growing up, I knew why. My mom told me, but...” Her tears became overwhelming, and she began to sob, covering her face. “I can’t help but remember what happened!” She choked. “What happened to not only me, but my mom. To Vent’s mom. I think about how it’s my fault. If I didn’t exist, Albert wouldn’t have picked me, and mom would still be alive today. If I just didn’t have this stupid, skin, she’d-“ 

“Don’t even say that!” Aile looked up the hill, and saw Grey, standing, out of breath. His hands on his knees.

“Grey?” 

“Vent didn’t want to come. He’s worried, but Ashe forced him into yoga.” He walked down the hill, approaching her. “So, I came. I didn’t hear everything since I assume you were talking to your Biometals but-,“ 

“It’s fine.” She arose from the grass, dusting herself off. “Let’s just-,“ 

“No! I’m not gonna ignore what you said, Aile!” 

“Grey-,“ 

“Aile. I understand still being sad about losing your mom. There’s nothing that won’t make it feel better, but don’t beat yourself up about it! If you weren’t around, Vent would probably still have been picked and he’d have to suffer through it alone. He’s so lucky to have you. Oh! And there’s even the possibility if neither of you existed, someone else wouldn’t have even been picked by Model X! The world needed a hero before me and Ashe came, and it decided on you and your brother.” 

“Grey-,“ 

“Look, I may not understand all this mechanical stuff. I get it, Ashe told me, but I’m a Reploid. I’ve never  _ experienced _ it. But that-,“ 

Aile pulled him into a hug, squeezing him tight. “Thank you,” she whispered, then slowly began to cry again. Grey wrapped his arms around her back, hugging her back. 

“It’s alright, Aile. Let it all out.” He said, softly. The two stood under the shade, hugging. It was a still moment. Just them. Aile eventually composed herself, slowly taking herself out of the hug, and taking a deep breath. Then another one, as she closed her eyes. 

**_Take as long as you need, Aile. You deserve to have time to calm down._ ** X said. She took another, sitting down again. Grey sat beside her, reaching for her hand. He squeezed it, which helped her calm down more. 

“Thanks.” She said as she exhaled, her eyes still closed. Grey didn’t say anything, he just watched her, along with her Biometals. 

**_Hmm, hey Zero?_ ** X asked quietly, watching Aile. Z turned to him. 

**_What if Aile... you know-_ **

**_She doesn’t need to meditate. Not now, anyways._ **

**_Okay, but it’s in the park…  
_ ** **_Please. Meditation doesn’t fix everything. It’s not for everyone, either._ **

X looked back to Aile.  **_Right. Sorry._ **

The two just sat there and watched, as Grey comforted Aile. She eventually calmed down, and arose. “Let’s go back. Vent needs saving from being naked,” Aile said with a smile. 

Grey arose too. “And Model A. He just sorta, stayed behind. He wasn’t in Ashe’s pockets though, he just wanted to watch Vent.” 

“Well, at least someone is sharing his pain.” 

“Yeah. Ashe is definitely never gonna hear the end of it from him.” The two chuckled as they walked onto the path. 

They all regrouped again. The yoga had ended, and they were now fully dressed. Ashe enjoyed it, and was blabbering on and on to Grey about it, while Vent was complaining non stop about it. 

“I mean it was relaxing, but oh my God. Being naked was-,“ he shivered. Aile felt comfortable over her brother's discomfort, not because she liked it, no, she felt bad for him, but it reminded her of one thing: She was never alone.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading again! But yes if you wondering: everything stated about the artificial skin is canon. ZX lore is weird what I can say. But doesn’t make me not enjoy it. It was fun to finally write something for this series, and you bet there will be more in the future! I’m still gonna be writing X fics though dw. But leave any other questions you have in the reviews below!


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